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Main Line School Night programs are funded in part by the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, whose mission is to foster the excellence, diversity and vitality of the arts in Pennsylvania and to broaden the availability and appreciation of those arts throughout the state.

Drawing on his two most recent books, First Modern: The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and Frank Furness: Architecture in the Age of the Great Machines, Dr. Thomas will explore the culture and experiences that led Frank Furness to take steps in Philadelphia that turned architecture away from tradition toward the great experiment that it remains today. The influence of Furness is reflected in the work of Louis Sullivan who conveyed the Furness values and ideas to Frank Lloyd Wright and to one of Furness's great pupils, George Howe, whose PSFS skyscraper transformed design in the 1930s. The discussion will illuminate your understanding of the evolution of the city as a pioneer in architectural innovation. In addition to his responsibilities at Harvard, Dr. Thomas is also a partner in CivicVisions, a cultural and historical research firm based in Philadelphia.